Lily's Luau and Epilepsy Research

Aloha everyone!

That is Hello in Hawaiian! I attended Lily's Luau in Madison this past Saturday, and what a blast it was! Memorial Union South was decorated to the nines, with inflatable flamingos, a couple tiki bars, island décor, and not to mention, piles of savory coconut shrimp!

I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful the event was, and how many people and businesses came together to donate raffle prizes, services and money to the event every year. I did not count, but it looked like there was more than 100 silent auction items this year.

A new fundraising campaign – The Neuron Project – was also unveiled. In a unique and beautiful combination of art and science, which is made possible thanks to a generous donation by The Boldt Company. The Neuron Project will be installed at the Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research. Small, medium and large neurons will line the hallway at the institute.

The Neuron Project combines art and science to raise funds for epilepsy research

Sponsorships are available in three neuron sizes: small, medium and large. I agreed to sponsor a small neuron for $1,000. Mine was not the only hand that shot up for a sponsorship, there were a number of other people who agreed as well. Just today, I heard from Lily's Luau founder Anne Giroux that ALL the small neuron sponsorships have been sold! What wonderful news!

There are still medium neurons available for $5,000 and large ones available for $10,000. I believe three medium neuron sponsorships were made at the luau, and one woman made a generous donation to sponsors a large one!

Oh, and did I mention, that whether you sponsor a small, medium, or large neuron, 100 percent of the proceeds will be used to fund epilepsy research at UW-Madison. You might be wondering if you read that sentence correctly: yes, you did. EVERY PENNY will be used to further epilepsy research.

Is $5,000 or $10,000 a lot of money? Yes, it is. But you know what, you can pay it over multiple years, and YOU choose how long. For example, $1,000 is a lot for me, a single person, a one-paycheck household. But I opted to sponsor my neuron over two years. That equates to $42 a month, which I CAN do. And the medium neurons are actually ideal for group donations, while the large ones are targeted more toward businesses and organizations.

Although Lily's Luau is a relatively new non-profit, I am blown away at the generosity that has poured in from people wanting to help find a cure for epilepsy! And as someone who was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age (3 years), I can appreciate all the hard work that they are putting in.

                 Reporters have to hang together: Me (far right) with Sarah Carlson (far left) and the                            WISC-TV 3 news team, including Susan Siman (to my left).

I had a sleep-deprived EEG yesterday (Jan. 29, 2014) and am awaiting results. My neurologist, Dr. Rama Maganti, thinks I am a good candidate to go off my medication, and that I might possibly have outgrown my epilepsy. I am trying not to get too excited – it is quite difficult – but I am praying for good news when the results come in.

If you would like to learn more about the epilepsy research being done at the UW-Madison, or are interested in purchasing a neuron, please contact lilysfund@gmail.com. They also have awesome T-shirts for sale that say “The War Against Epilepsy Will Be Waged in Coconut Bras.” I love mine!

Riling the Edgerton community, Part 2

My saga of creating conflict in the City of Edgerton continued last week when I ran an article titled “School’s budget may lead to future cuts.”

The premise of the article is the Edgerton School District passed an unbalanced budget. The original budget had expenses $300,000 more than revenue. When they approved a revised budget, it jumped to a $900,000 gap, which they paid for out of fund balance. The budget did include $260,000 in one-time expenses for technology upgrades. I have no beef with that. But it also included at least $200,000 in salary and benefits. Well pardon me, but I do not think fund balance should pay for reoccuring costs. My article was based on budget documents and an interview with the Director of Business Services Mark Worthing.

The district administrator said the title was inaccurate (I disagree) and board member Sue Tronnes said she was disappointed in the article and called it an editorial. I venemently disagree. But what say you?

Here is the full story: 

On Monday, Oct. 28, the Edgerton School Board approved a revised 2013-14 budget for $309,899 less than the amount approved at the Annual Elector’s meeting.

The revised budget included $102,148 less in taxes and $232,594 more in funding due to open enrollment and state aid, additional one-time and ongoing expenditures are being paid for out of the district’s fund balance.

The revised budget included an additional $542,493 in expenditures, among them $260,000 to purchase the last pieces of equipment needed to upgrade the Tech Ed department. Additional expenditures include a $23,555 increase to 4-year-old kindergarten; $55,025 increase for open enrollment; and $208,547 increase for salaries and benefits.

The problem the district faces is with the revised budget, district expenditures come in at $20,687,181, while district revenue is only $19,784,111. And according to Edgerton School District Business Manager Mark Worthing, the district is near the top of the state’s revenue cap, which limits its ability to pay for the additional expenses through a tax increase.

That leaves the district with two options: pay for the gap, which with the revised budget jumped from $593,171 to $903,070, out of the district’s fund balance, or make cuts.

This year the district opted to take almost $1 million out of existing fund balance. The district began building up its fund balance three years ago, according to documents provided by Worthing. At the end of the 2009-10 school year, the fund balance had just shy of $1.8 million. By the end of the 2012-13 school year, it had doubled to just shy of $3.6 million.

Edgerton School District Policy 620, which can be found online at www.edgerton.k12.wi.us, states the district must carry a minimum fund balance of $1,528,332. After the revised budget, the district’s fund balance will be $2,690,066.13. While still above the board-established minimum, the district could run into trouble sooner than later because as it stands, the district does not have a balanced budget.

“We are running pretty lean, and the bad things with schools is 75-80 percent [of the budget] is people,” Worthing said. “The only way to make up real ground on making cuts is people, and that is always tough to do.”

It is even tougher to do considering the school board voted to add staff at the end of the 2012-13 school year. According to Worthing, the additional positions included staff for the district’s Gifted and Talented program, an at-risk position at Edgerton Middle School and two new teachers at the elementary school to keep class sizes low.

In order to make cuts, some schools, such as the Antigo High School, required staff to teach six classes instead of five, which resulted in one less position in the different educational departments. For the Edgerton School District, that is not an option.

According to Worthing, teachers at the middle school teach six out of eight periods. At the high school, staff also teach six periods and supervise a seventh. The final period is used as prep time for their classes.

While the district’s fund balance will make up for the budget gap this year, and possibly during the 2014-15 school year, by the time the 2015-16 school year rolls around, school board members will either have to change the district’s fund balance policy or look at making cuts.

Aside from staffing, the two other big chunks of the district’s budget are maintenance and technology. But with the new technology infrastructure and the integration of iPads into education, cuts to the technology budget will be difficult.

“You cannot skimp on the technology budget because you need it to work,” Worthing said.

As for maintenance, Worthing said the district cannot afford to cut preventative maintenance either, especially considering the work, such as new roofing and parking lots, that was performed during the recent referendum.

One area the district could generate more revenue in is athletics participation fees. The district currently charges students $10 per sport at the middle school, and $20 per sport at the high school. 

Many districts charge much higher fees for student participation in athletics. 

A survey done by the Sun Prairie Area School District in 2012 revealed that Janesville charges a base fee of $75. Some sports pay less, such as baseball and softball ($23) and football ($65), while hockey players pay $600 to participate. Madison area high schools charge a base of $115 per sport, while Verona charges $125 and Middleton, $172.

Closer to home, middle school students in Cambridge charge $50 per sport, and $60 per sport at the high school, according to Cambridge School District Director of Business Services Kathy Davis.

The Milton School District is not far behind neighboring Cambrige. The district charges seventh and eight graders $40 per sport with a family maximum of $120, and $50 per sport with a family maximum of $150 at the high school level, according to Milton School District Director of Business Services Mary Ellen Van Valin.

“Once the family reaches that max, then their kids participate for free,” Van Valin said.

Although Edgerton’s student participation fees are lower compared to other districts, the board is not discussing increasing fees at this time.

Riling the Edgerton community

Last week I ran a photo collage of some Edgerton Halloween parties. There was a sexy teachers, flight attendant, a slightly inebriated bumble bee, a vampire king and queen, demons, nun, fairies, Ironman, witches, the list goes on and on. When my page and a half of photos was complete, I had a collection of some very interesting characters. I could not run the photo of the man dressed as a Hooters chick with fake boobs hanging out, but I did get a go ahead on the following photo:

But alas, there was no blowback, no problems with Matt King playing willing sacrifice to devil's minion Cassie Nottestad and her vampire queen mother, Terri Nottestad. Surprisingly, it was the picture of the Lakeview Campground Halloween contest winners that irked the locals.

The accompanying caption: Edgerton resident Ken Kueng, dressed as a terrorist, won for scariest costume at Lakeview Campground, while the crowd could not decide whether Kristen Ransom (teacher) of Evansville or Stephanie Jacobson (stewardess) of Janesville was the sexiest, resulting in a tie.

Here are the results:

"It was fun seeing all the Halloween pictures in the paper, all except one! I feel publishing the picture of the terrorist as a winner of a costume contest was in poor taste in light of all the recent shootings and bombings throughout the world. Halloween is about having fun, this was a little too realistic and offensive to me. Thank you for listening and I do really enjoy reading the paper every week." - Disappointed Reader, Cindy Johnson

The second letter writer was a little more agitated.

"I would like to express my sincere concern about the Halloween section of the most recently published Reporter. A man (who won a costume contest) was pictured in a turban, long beard, holding a gun and the display read "Terrorist." By publishing this picture, it solidifies the idea that negative stereotypes about a certain culture are okay. I was disgusted to see that the town that I grew up in was openly promoting negative images of a certain group. Who knows what kind of implications this picture might have on some members of our community. Please think before you publish something so distasteful and wrong." - Bethany Wedvick

I must admit, I personally get bothered when people treat all people from the Middle East like they are terrorists. At the same time, I cannot deny that since 9/11, our society has been programmed to do just that. My own cousin a couple years ago admitted to wanting to get off an airplane after seeing someone of Middle Eastern descent, and I was outraged.

When I ran this photo, my intention was to show the Halloween costume winners, not to make a political statement.
And while it was a little frustrating to hear that people were bothered by the picture, I am also a little proud that something I did infuriated not one, but two people so much they felt the need to write a Letter to the Editor. More than three years in Sun Prairie working for The Star, and I that never happened.

And like I told my boss: "Instead of complaining about the terrorist winning most scary, they should be relieved the man in assless chaps did not win for most sexy OR scary." Thankfully she chuckled.

Halloween musings

Later tonight the streets will be filled with witches, superheroes, vampires, ninjas, ballerinas, pop stars, minions and more. Accompanied by their parents, young children will go door-to-door trick-or-treating, their buckets filled with store-bought candy.

Halloween is the night when it is acceptable to don your scariest costume. When I woke up this morning, it was with a love for the frightful holiday. And yet I never expected to have one of the scariest revelations of my young life. 

For the past 10 years, our country has been at war in the Middle East. As freedom-loving individuals, many times we abhor the Muslim religion for how it treats women. As a woman, I myself have had those harsh thoughts. But this morning, I wondered....how did they get there? And are we really that far behind?

I cannot help but fear that our society is on the same path. After all, very rarely is change overnight. Many times change occurs slowly. After all, if you tell someone to objectify or demean someone, they may resist. The degradation of society does not occur overnight. It is a slow process that occurs by gradually changing group mindset. 

If you turn on the TV, pick up a magazine, what do you see? Shows teaching good values? Or scantily-clad women and seduction? Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not a prude. But movies that used to be rated R once upon a time would most likely now be considered PG or at the most, PG-13. What used to be private is now, well...not. 

What if this is our undoing? Sure, sex sells, always will. But by objectifying women - or any segment of the population - it belittles those to little more than property. Men desire what they see, and they see as not as people with rights they should respect, but as something they want, or must have.

I am not perfect. When Magic Mike came out...whew! Just the thought of it brings a smile to my face. And therein lies the problem. When I get dressed up for Halloween, I feel like one of the only women in an actual costume. I see sexy nurse, sexy teacher, sexy flight attendant, sexy everything. And here I am as Lois Lane or a minion, in pants or floor length dresses. 

Our society is one of instant gratification. There is no thought to the future, just now. What if this is our undoing? What if in 200 years, we are the new Middle East? Will anyone be able to trace it back to its roots, pinpoint the exact moment when everything began unraveling? 

Yes, there are people that work to make this world a better place. But to my eyes, the younger generation - people my age and younger - are as a whole, not worldly. Their worries are personal, not global, and they struggle to see how events link together, how one action stems multiple reactions. 

Many times my peers look at me strangely. When I make a decision, I think about all the different outcomes that could occur as a result, outcomes others do not even consider until I bring it up. What a sad commentary, when foresight and consideration are not a part of our thought process.

I sincerely hope that I am wrong, and that our instant gratification culture does not degrade our society to the point that we do not value and respect life. 

Sincerely,

The Most Cynical Optimist

Edgerton the center of Halloween invasion

**I am trying something a little different this week. To see photo cutlines, position the mouse over the photo.**

Photos by Rachel Wittrock

By Rachel Wittrock
Reporter staff  

Edgerton is being invaded. Large spiders have begun teaming up for a roofside assault on an Edgerton home. Zombies have begun to claw their way to the surface. A mummy and his new

bride take up an observational post, watching locals as they go about their day, gathering information for their fearless leader. The mischievous yet lovable minions from Despicable Me have arrived in town, and have been spotted plotting outside another resident’s house.

Halloween may be a week away, but some Edgerton residents have begun preparing for the annual spookfest. From zombies to ghosts, mummies to minions, much planning and care has been put into the lawn decor. Many houses feature pumpkins on the porch, but a few clearly show a love for the spooky holiday.

The house that stands at 311 Marlboro Ave. could double as a Halloween shop. A large spiderweb stretches from lawn to roof, and oversize spiders prepare to make the climb. A skeleton riding a lawn mower is on the other side of the yard, and a skeleton head hangs from the basketball hoop. Tombstones, skulls on posts and skeleton warriors have been placed in the yard. Is this where the zombie apocalypse will begin?

The mummy and mummy’s bride are keeping an eye on everyone from outside 315 W. Fulton St. Or are they keeping an eye on their skeleton and pumpkin head children, playing nearby?

If you wander down Rollin St., you just might catch sight of seven of Gru’s minions. But watch out, a couple of them look like they might have a prank or two up their overalls. 

Tackling Rockman 2013!

The past couple weeks have been quite busy. Edgerton hosted the one and only Patch Adams on Sept. 27 and 28 for the Sterling North Book and Film Festival. I was privy to his visit at the Ronald McDonald House in Madison on the 27th, and later that evening at the red carpet author’s reception. He is a very caring, comedic and serious man.
 

Pre-Rockman

Unfortunately, I did not make it to the book and film festival. Instead, I was in Watertown participating in the 3rd annual Rockman Challenge. The triathlon begins with a paddle on the Rock River (2 miles this year), a 15.5 mile bike course, a 5K run, quarter mile military style obstacle course and 50 meter sack hop to the finish. Your reward? A finisher medal and chicken dinner!

The past couple years my goal was just to survive. And after my canoe rental was not there in year one and my borrowed trick kayak submerged in the middle of the lake, it was rough. But I was determined to finish. That first year I spent 4.5 hours completing the course.
 

Last year, my canoe rental was actually there and that alone shaved a half hour off my time. Although taking time off is always a good thing, I was disappointed with my 3 hours, 56 minutes finish.
 

During the past year, I have taken steps to a healthier lifestyle. I’ve found a nutrition plan that works for me, and I have shed 15 pounds. When I began this year’s Rockman Challenge, all of that work became apparent. Despite the fact I had not paddled any kind of boat in a year, I found myself moving much quicker on the lake. The bike portion - well a huge part of it no doubt was my road bike versus the mountain bike the last two years - but even that was easier. I pedaled up hills instead of disembarking and walking, and I was biking a mile in 4-5 minutes versus 6+ minutes last year.
 

Sack hop to the finish baby!

The run and obstacle course were the same. The 5K run is always the hardest. My muscles need warming up from all the biking. I had run/walked two of the three miles before my muscles finally warmed up and running was comfortable. The third mile I finally hit my stride. The obstacle course felt harder this year, probably because I was pushing myself harder.
 

When I finally crossed the finish line, my time was 2 hours, 51 minutes, 15 seconds - a full hour and 5 minutes faster than last year. Granted, the paddle and bike courses were each a mile shorter this year, but I figure that only accounts for 24 or 25 minutes - the other 40 minutes were personal improvement.
 

Talk about neon swag!

Looking towards next year, I plan to train a lot more for the race. My road bike is relatively new - I brought it down in June - and I think also figuring out what speeds for going up and down hills will help. Next year, I am aiming to slice another 30 minutes off my tri time.
 

Although I plan to do the Rockman Challenge again next year as an individual, it would be great to make it a group event. I encourage anyone interested in triathlons or looking for a fun, personal challenge to check out the race.
 

Much thanks to the Watertown Challenge Association for continuing to host this event, and to Rutabaga for the amazing canoe/kayak rentals!

Hope to see you there in 2014!

(How about that Rockman T-shirt? I am planning to don my race shirt for the Glow Run in Madison next May!)

Military flavor offered at Boot Camp run

The Army and Army Reserve team of Sgt. Mitroka, Sgt. Kersten, Sfc. Reveles and Sgt. Whitlow received top military team during the first ever Edgerton Hospital Boot Camp run.

By Rachel Wittrock
Reporter staff
 

Edgerton residents Janet Fandrey and Amy Hockenberry scale a wall.

Edgerton residents not afraid of a challenge could be found at Edgerton Hospital on Saturday, Sept. 14. The traditional 5K/10K run was held at 8:30 a.m., with the 5K walk opening at 8:45.
 
Approximately 60 of the day’s 137 runners signed up for the challenging new race, Boot Camp, which took residents over, under and through different military-style obstacle courses.
 
From monkey bars to walls, scaling up and over a cargo net held in place by two Marines and walking or running while carrying a bag of sand, the race, true to its name, gave participants a taste of military boot camp.
 
“I think the cargo net climb was the most fun obstacle for people because it is something the average person does not run into in their life,” Eric Stockman of Milton Family Recreation said. “I think after getting over it, they had a deep sense of accomplishment.”
 
Current military personnel mann-ed the different obstacles. Did you fall on the monkey bars? Go back and try again. Fall off the balance beam or use your hands for balance? Drop and do 10 push-ups. While the roughly 60 Boot Campers had the option to skip any obstacle, most chose to face the course.
 

Brody Butterfield decked out in Army camo

“The Marines said it was a great event for them to get out of the office and get a chance to support the local community,” Stockman said. “It [Boot Camp] is pretty much doing what they do in real life. They train that way.”
 
With categories for military, law enforcement and civilians, the 5K obstacle course run drew everyone from local military recruiters to individuals wanting more than the traditional run.
 
Dressed in camouflage shorts and a black Army T-shirt, the four-person United States Army and Army Reserves team of Sgt. Mitroka, Sgt. Kersten, Sfc. Reveles and Sgt. Whitlow captured the top team time spot.
 
The team Jeff and 5 College Kids captured first place in the citizen team competition.
 
Edgerton resident Janet Fandrey signed up for Boot Camp as part of a personal goal to do one race every month from April to October. The race was also an anniversary of sorts, marking one year since Fandrey embarked on her weight-loss journey. With her friend Amy Hocken-berry by her side, both in training and Boot Camp, Fandrey lost 30 lbs. and tackled the challenging course.

Janet Fandrey and Amy Hockenberry weren't afraid of a bit of mud.

And neither was I!

Although Boot Camp waves were scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to noon, no one was game to tackle the course in the afternoon. The final heat - a field of five females, including Fandrey and Hockenberry - took off at 10:30 a.m.
 
After two loops of the military course, racers had to wade or crawl through the water below the monkey bars, then crawl under a net through mud before getting their just rewards - pears, oranges and water - at the finish line.
 
“Everybody always thinks the event will not be for them because they have it in their mind what these runs entail,” Stockman said. “But in reality, it is fun for everybody. Everybody that walked away had fun. I saw a lot of extreme laugher when people crossed the finish line.”

Wondering what you missed? Check out this video clip from the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHeHSgrRvXM. 
Hope to see you there next year!